I.

Collaboration

II.

Introduction

Collaborative learning is a situation in which two or more people learn or

attempt to learn something together. Unlike individual learning, people engaged in
collaborative learning capitalize on one anothers resources and skills (asking one
another for information, evaluating one anothers ideas, monitoring one anothers
work, etc.). More specifically, collaborative learning is based on the model that
knowledge can be created within a population where members actively interact by
sharing experiences and take on asymmetry roles. Put differently, collaborative
learning refers to methodologies and environments in which learners engage in a
common task where each individual depends on and is accountable to each other.

III. Objectives
At the end of this module, the students are expected to:
1. gain a basic understanding of collaborative learning;
2. recognize best practices in collaborative learning;
3. be able to apply collaborative learning in class group activities.

IV.

Content Outline

Collaborative Learning is a system in which two or more people cooperate in a

learning experience to share and contribute to each member's understanding of a
topic and to complete a given task. Collaborative learning continues to be an
increasingly popular option in our culture, as our school systems have recognized
that American students can be overly competitive at times, causing difficulties for
these students when they enter the workplace, especially in positions that require
collaboration.
Collaboration is a natural part of life and should be included in the curriculum.
Collaborative learning is designed to help students "play well with others," as many
of us learned about in kindergarten. While this is highly valued by our school
system, now, with collaborative learning, it can be a part of the curriculum.
Lesson plans for collaborative learning vary greatly. Sometimes teachers will
build a lesson designed specifically to teach collaborative learning and teamwork.
There are many teambuilding games and activities that can be done in a classroom
that force students to work together to complete a task. For example, students
might be broken up into teams and be required to build a structure out of note
cards with the highest note card structure winning a prize. This can be fun while
teaching important teambuilding skills.
Other collaborative learning exercises are designed around a particular school
subject. For instance, in a speech class, a teacher might break students up into
teams and have them work together to make a presentation on a subject together.
In this scenario, students can learn just as much as if they were developing a
presentation on their own, but they get the added benefit of learning how to
collaborate.
There are some difficulties when designing and implementing collaborative
learning, however. Since students have individual grades and not group grades in
our school systems, sometime it can be difficult to know how to grade students who
have been a part of a successful or unsuccessful project. Collaborative learning can
also sometime backfire, as some group learning activities can turn into an
argument or fight, and students can be left with hard feelings toward their
classmates. Many teachers find ways to minimize these risks, however. For

example, a teacher might allow students to "grade" each other on their level of
participation in a group project and give each student grades based on the success
of the project plus the ratings of the other group members. A teacher might also
reduce the negative effects of an argument by having students in a group sit down
and talk through what happened to cause the fight and why they feel the way they
do. Instead of being a negative experience, this can be an opportunity to help
students understand how they relate to others.
Collaborative learning is on the rise in our classrooms. Done correctly, it is be a
great opportunity to break up the monopoly of the lecture, teach teamwork to our
students, and help them to become more productive members of society in the
future.

V.

Assessment/Evaluation

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

What is collaborative learning?

How do collaborative learning differ from the traditional approach?
How has collaborative learning developed since it became popular?
What are the benefits of collaborative learning?
What are the critical perspectives of collaborative learning?
How can you use collaborative learning in conjunction with other educational
techniques?
7. Why are collaborative learning activities good for students with behavioral
difficulties?
8. How does collaborative learning support accelerated learning?
9. What are the ways in which introducing collaborative learning makes
teaching easier and more pleasurable?
10.
What is the impact of collaborative learning?

VI.

Answers Key

1. Collaborative Learning is a system in which two or more people cooperate in

a learning experience to share and contribute to each member's
understanding of a topic and to complete a given task.
2. Cooperative and collaborative learning differ from traditional teaching
approaches because students work together rather than compete with each
other individually. Collaborative learning can take place any time students
work together -- for example, when they help each other with homework.
Collaborative learning takes place when students work together in the same
place on a structured project in a small group. Mixed-skill groups can be
especially helpful to students in developing their social abilities.
3. Over the past twenty-five years, the use of small-group learning has greatly
increased. Informal collaborative projects have grown into structured,
cooperative group work. Collaborative learning became especially popular in
the early 1980s and has matured and evolved since. One evolving aspect of
collaborative learning involves how the educational community approaches
the composition of the small groups. Debates still occur on this topic.
Researchers disagree mainly about whether to group students according to
their ability, or to mix them so that stronger students can help the weaker
ones learn and themselves learn from the experience of tutoring.
4. Benefits from small-group learning in a collaborative environment include:
Celebration of diversity. Students learn to work with all types of people.
During small-group interactions, they find many opportunities to reflect
upon and reply to the diverse responses fellow learners bring to the
questions raised. Small groups also allow students to add their
perspectives to an issue based on their cultural differences. This exchange
inevitably helps students to better understand other cultures and points of
view.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Acknowledgment of individual differences. When questions are raised,

different students will have a variety of responses. Each of these can help
the group create a product that reflects a wide range of perspectives and
is thus more complete and comprehensive.
Interpersonal development. Students learn to relate to their peers and
other learners as they work together in group enterprises. This can be
especially helpful for students who have difficulty with social skills. They
can benefit from structured interactions with others.
Actively involving students in learning. Each member has opportunities to
contribute in small groups. Students are apt to take more ownership of
their material and to think critically about related issues when they work
as a team.
More opportunities for personal feedback. Because there are more
exchanges among students in small groups, your students receive more
personal feedback about their ideas and responses. This feedback is often
not possible in large-group instruction, in which one or two students
exchange ideas and the rest of the class listens.
Critics of small-group learning often point to problems related to vague
objectives and poor expectations for accountability. Small-group work, some
claim, is an avoidance of teaching. According to these critics, dividing the
class into small groups allows the teacher to escape responsibility. Vicki
Randall (1999), who has taught elementary, high-school, and college-level
students, cautions against abuse and overuse of group work. According to
Randall, the many benefits of cooperative learning sometimes blind us to its
drawbacks. She identifies the following practices as common weaknesses:
Making members of the group responsible for each other's learning. This
can place too great a burden on some students. In mixed-ability groups,
the result is often that stronger students are left to teach weaker students
and do most of the work.
Encouraging only lower-level thinking and ignoring the strategies
necessary for the inclusion of critical or higher-level thought. In small
groups, there is sometimes only enough time to focus on the task at its
most basic level.
Since collaborative-learning techniques revolve around the use of a particular
tool -- small groups -- they can be used with almost any other educational
strategy. In small groups, students can share their strengths and weaknesses
and use the group activities to develop a variety of their intelligences.
Collaborative activities involve the construction of new ideas based on
personal and shared foundations of past experiences and understandings -so they naturally apply some of the principles of constructivism. Learners
also investigate significant, real-world problems through good explorative
questions, and as a result these groups can easily be used for an inquirybased approach. They can also help students meet national, state, or local
standards. Collaborative activities can have many different objectives,
ranging from mastery of basic skills to higher-order thinking. Because the
specifics of a collaborative-learning project depend on the objectives of the
particular teacher, the teacher can easily orient the project toward meeting
these standards.
Students who find learning and concentration difficult need a secure learning
environment where they are supported while they are able to take risks.
Collaborative activities provide familiar structures in different contexts where
students can play an active role and feel valued for what they can contribute.
Accelerated learning requires teachers to recognize and explore different
learning styles for example kinesthetic, visual, aural and oral. It also requires
that concepts are reformulated so that they become firmly embedded.

Collaborative learning activities often provide a lot of visual clues, allow

students to move the thinking around the table, and students often need to
synthesize information and subsequently pass it on to their peers.
9. Classrooms where collaborative work is part of the normal repertoire tend to
be calmer and more self-regulating. Students are more confident and
consequently less liable to disrupt the learning of others. The classroom
responsibilities are shared. It is easier for support staff to work alongside
targeted students. The fun element is also important for motivating students
and teachers. Everyone feels more successful at what they are doing.
10.
Research shows that educational experiences that are active, social,
contextual, engaging, and student-owned lead to deeper learning. The
benefits of collaborative learning include:
Development of higher-level thinking, oral communication, selfmanagement, and leadership skills.
Promotion of student-faculty interaction.
Increase in student retention, self-esteem, and responsibility.
Exposure to and an increase in understanding of diverse perspectives.
Preparation for real life social and employment situations.

VII. Bibliography
http://www.collaborativelearning.org/questions.html
http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends/collaboration/
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/coopcollab/index.html

ACOSTA, Disa C.
BEEd IV- A
EDUC 414 Current Trends in Education